After planning on retiring the character in 2019’s A Madea Family Funeral, writer/producer/star/director Tyler Perry has decided to return to his golden goose, the now-iconic, gun-totting, wise-cracking, wisdom-giving grandmother, Madea, this time moving to the streaming world of Netflix. The move must’ve given Perry some much-needed creative inspiration as A Madea Homecoming is not only very funny, it’s also Perry’s most accomplished film potentially ever, however damning with faint praise that might be.
Madea (Tyler Perry) and Uncle Joe (Perry, again) are back alongside Madea’s kids, Cora (Tamela J. Mann) and Mr. Brown (David Mann) and Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) in the twelve feature film with Perry’s signature character. Madea’s great-grandson, Tim (Brandon Black, Dear White People) is about to graduate college and is ready to come out to his family. His roommate Davi (Isha Blaaker, The Flight Attendant) is accompanying him for moral support, but when they arrive to Madea’s, secrets will be unfurled, family drama will be hashed and hijinks will ensue.
This being a Tyler Perry-directed film means it’s no technical marvel. Insert shots that aren’t focused right, baffling scene transitions and exteriors shots that aren’t properly lit here are some of the most notable examples of how fast and loose his productions tend to be. That said, this is perhaps the most technically accomplished, and — oddly enough — the most cinematic Madea film by some margin.
Much of the film still consists of the ensemble standing around a room and riffing for an extended amount of screen-time, but Perry’s blocking and shot compositions feel more natural this time around. There’s an absurdly funny flashback filmed in black-and-white that shows more creativity from Perry as a filmmaker than most anything in his past several directorial outings.
This is also Perry’s first film with a prominent gay character, and the filmmaker shows more delicacy here. The scene of Tim coming out to his family is handled with grace and is quite moving. The transition to Netflix also allows Perry to not be restricted by its theatrical-friendly PG-13 rating. The filmmaker gets to revel in edgier material, allowing Madea and Joe to drop more F-bombs, being more crass, and fully indulge in drug humor; the results are better for it.
Joining Perry is the inclusion of Irish comedian Brendan O’Carroll as the character of Agnes Brown. The character comes from an Irish sitcom Mrs. Brown’s Boys where the character serves as the Irish equivalent of Madea. Perry and O’Carroll get ample opportunity to bounce off one another and milk a lot of comedy out of their differing cultures. Agnes’ entrance comes with a particularly hysterical misunderstanding.
The tone is more balanced and breezy compared to earlier Madea works. Candace Maxwell plays Madea’s niece, Ellie, who works as a police officer. She and Uncle Joe (Perry’s other on-screen counterpart, who steals much of the movie) have a sparring rivalry that allows Perry to hit on topical material with the grace of a sledgehammer, but thankfully doesn’t take up much screen-time.
Coming from someone who has seen every Madea film, A Madea Homecoming is truly Perry’s funniest outing in many years. While some gags feel ripped strictly for social media, Madea and Agnes react to Cardi B’s WAP at one point, this is a more well-rounded and consistently entertaining Madea entry.
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